Echoes of the Soul
by on.ings.like.weagles
Summary: Some things cannot be explained, Edward learned that lesson at the tender age of ten. What she was... it was unbelievable, but she was something special, and she had found him. AU Human
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter One**

_**Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.**_

– _**Frank Herbert**_

"Edward darling, stop sulking like a child and go explore our new home."

The soft, hazy sunlight that was trickling out from the broad, expansive branches and emerald-tinted leaves of a tall birch tree; highlighted the golden strains of mussed hair that swept casually over the dark jade eyes of a boy named Edward. Motionless, except for picking sullenly at the half-healed scab on his left knee, the young boy peered at the woman before him, beckoning him from across the neatly tended lawn. In response, the fair-head youth picked harder at the scab, making droplets of blood well against his pale skin, and simply glared softly in her direction. _This sucked._

Ignoring the pitiable and somewhat kittenish glower of her young son, Elizabeth Masen pulled her blue sundress free from a wayward, budding rosebush and wiped the beads of sweat that gathered on her brow away with one pale, graceful hand; it was quite a bit warmer in this new town than it had been in Chicago. It would take a little getting used to.

Soft jade-hued eyes brushed over the house that occupied the sweeping green lawn and Elizabeth smiled warmly; the soft off-white walls and pale blue shutters were newly painted, and the blooming spring flowers in the lace-curtained window boxes made the home even more inviting in her eyes. Edward senior, her husband, had gone ahead of them two weeks before the move to prepare the house, and set the furniture and the rest of the furnishings into place. Fourteen Cherry-tree Lane was at last completely ready to occupy the both her and her husband, along with their ten-year old son. _And the country will be so much better for Edward._

As his mother opened the rich wine-coloured wooden double doors that were the entrance to their new home; Edward finally, albeit very grudgingly, stood to his feet and followed behind her. His feet kicked at the lush grass in rather pointless defiance as he approached the house reluctantly with a peevish expression covering the entirety of his childish face.

Tugging at the exceedingly itchy and now wholly worthless green sweater that scraped irritatingly against his sweaty skin; Edward trailed after his mother, a wicked smirk on his face when he noticed, with undeniable satisfaction, that his formal black-laced shoes had now left dirt stained footprints all over the once pristine white floor. Stomping his feet several more times just for good measure, the auburn-haired youth plodded up the spiralling, wooden staircase that led to the second-floor of the country house that his parents had quite unrealistically assumed he would soon call his home. _But I won't. Chicago is my home._

There were just two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second-floor, and Edward readily disregarded the pale pastels and earthy tones of the suite nearest to the staircase, assuming correctly that the room was his parents and not his; not that it was all that difficult to guess. None of the possessions in the tastefully decorated room were his, and there was a large king-sized bed, instead of his single.

Bypassing the neat and gleaming white bathroom, Edward drifted toward the room that happened to be farthest away from the staircase; the room that was decorated in both aesthetically pleasing and functional bold blues and calm creams. Everything was here already, as he'd been informed by his father that it would.

His bed with its solid cherry-wood frame and soft, downy comforter; his vast and ever expanding music collection; his few, yet beloved DVDs, along with the large range of toys that had been various bribes gifted to him prior to the move... but last and most importantly, there was the sleek black, baby grand piano.

His parents had a much larger and more impressive instrument downstairs, but since Edward had such a love of the both the music and the art of pianism, it too had been part bribe/part tenth birthday gift given to him just before he and his parents had left Chicago. And it happened to be the only bribe that Edward had not deeply resented once he found out the reason for the mountainous piles of gifts. After all, he loved the piano far too much to take out his anger on it.

Ignoring his copious amounts of possessions in favour of a much used pastime of his, Edward sat lightly on his perfectly made up bed and proceeded to brood silently. It was a talent, a gift one could say; an art form of his that he had perfected when he did not get his way. As the only, beloved child of two overly-affectionate and doting parents, Edward could plead guilty to being a little spoiled and often more liable to tantrums that most children of his age group.

"Edward dear, we have visitors! Come down and say hello, my darling."

Grumbling beneath his breath about pestering mothers and horribly embarrassing nicknames that they couldn't help but dole out as if they were delicious candy, Edward tore the ugly sweater, that he had unfortunately donned, off of his body and absentmindedly smoothed the wrinkles from the formal button-down shirt that he had on underneath. _Why can't Gran try and make me something that isn't coloured in that horrible puke green?_

Tucking his shirt into the grey slacks that his father had insisted he wear as they would most likely be visited by the neighbours; Edward kicked off his muddy shoes and ignored the way the pair landed haphazardly about his once tidy room, instead making his way back downstairs to meet his mother's guests. The wayward preteen drew the action out as long as he possibly could without angering his mother (no point in doing that); it was the only safe vindictive action that he could employ. Edward did not want to be here... he didn't want to be anywhere but Chicago, where all his friends lived no more than two blocks away, with the familiar house which he grew up in and the hustle and bustle of the city. This _country _town did not interest him in the slightest.

A flicker of blonde caught the corner of his eye, and his attention, and so despite his progressively fouling mood, Edward smiled at his mother. Her jade eyes met his and Elizabeth Masen beamed encouragingly in his direction; her entire face lighting up in the ease and joy of her warm smile. His gaze slid past her after a second to the dark-suited man behind his mother with one hand wrapped affectionately around her waist; his father was very tall, fit and had dark, burnished red hair. Only the barest hint of a smile curved his somewhat severely-thin lips, but Edward could see that his grey-blue eyes were sparkling with delight and contentment. Father was the main reason for the move in the first place – apparently he had loved growing up in a close knit country town, the only reason he had left had been for his mother.

"Edward dear, these are our new neighbours; Mrs Hale and her children, Rosalie and Alec. Say hello darling."

Turning away from the familiar faces of his loving, albeit slightly irritating, parents, Edward took in the apparent new neighbours of his. Mrs Hale and her progeny were all willowy in stature and all were blonde, though the shade varied between all three of them; Mrs Hale's was a soft and light buttery colour, whereas her daughter, Rosalie, had a more golden shade and her brother's, Alec leant towards a pale almost white, blonde. They were all dressed impeccably, if a little less formally than himself and his family were, in various shades of mellow blues – which Edward noticed only emphasized the shared sapphire-colour of their eyes.

"Hello Mrs Hale. Rosalie. Alec. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

The obvious elegance of their apparel, and their somewhat reserved demeanours did not stop Mrs Hale from bustling forward towards the young boy and wrapping Edward in a life-threateningly tight hug, which was quickly followed by the soft sniggering of Alec, and the exasperated, rolled eyes of the older Rosalie Hale. Before he died of asphyxiation, Mrs Hale finally relinquished her hold and let him go, Edward immediately breathing in the fresh air gratefully, completely ignorant of the amused looks of nearly everyone in the room.

"Anyway, if you need anything Elizabeth, we are happy to help. Alec is ten as well, so Edward feel free to come over anytime, and Ro-"

The sharp, punctuated and unmistakeable shrill of a mobile phone reverberated through the house, and immediately the teenager called Rosalie disappeared as if on fire, one finger to her ear and lips moving at a previously unthought-of speed. A frustrated sigh escaped Mrs Hale's lips as she ushered Alec to one side and afterward followed both Elizabeth and Edward senior out of the room with a rant already in full throttle, "Thank your lucky stars you do not have a teenage daughter, Elizabeth. That girl is on that infernal phone every single minute of the day... and do not even get me started on the boys-"

_Great, they left me with Alec... are they expecting us to bond or something? Not happening._

Silent, crawling minutes passed as the pair of ten-year olds unconsciously squared off and starting sizing each other up, both of them wary and curious of the other at the same time. Alec had a baby-face and stood a whole half-foot taller than Edward, but while the blonde-haired boy was lanky and as thin as a beanstalk, Edward had somewhat of a more elegant, sinewy build. Flexing one eyebrow in Alec's direction when five minutes finally passed, the auburn-haired youth caved, sighed and held out his hand in silent welcome. A confident smile easing it way onto his slightly too-large-for-his-face mouth, Alec shrugged disarmingly and clasped the proffered hand and pumped it once, twice, three times before inquiring, "So its Edward, right? Some of my friends are coming over to play video games tomorrow around ten. Wanna come as well?"

_Hell no. _"Sure. Sounds great, Alec."

At the auburn-haired youth's half-hearted reply, Alec's cautious behaviour evaporated like rain did on a particularly hot day; his blue eyes sparkling and his lips pulled into a broad grin, which showed the absence of one baby tooth, "Okay, see you then, Ed."

Confused by the dismissive tone in the other boy's voice, Edward quirked his eyebrow again, but movement in the corner of his eye answered his unspoken question for him. Alec's mother was clutching his in a soft, one-armed hug, but was already motioning her blonde-haired son that it was time to left with the other hand. As mother and son departed, Edward breathed a near soundless sigh of relief, though his father's stern look let him know that his actions didn't exactly go unnoticed as he had planned.

Still... In the wake of the blonde's departure, only one thought was running freely through Edward's mind as he headed into the newly refurbished kitchen, motivated strongly by the scent of his mother's mouth-wateringly delicious chicken-bacon sandwiches.

_Ed? Aw, hell no is that happening._

Wiping his grease-stained fingers on his crumpled, yet still formal pants, much to his mother's dismay, Edward chugged the glass of juice that his mother handed him and absently wiped some of the clinging pulp from his lip with his sleeve; this time to his father's half-hearted reprimand.

Deciding to ignore both implied reproofs with the obliviousness one only retains as a child, Edward thanked his mother for the taste-tingling lunch, and half-protesting the action, let his father tousle his already dishevelled coppery locks. Content and with a full stomach, Edward slipped away quickly and bounded up the stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing throughout the house. Though he was still upset that his parents had uprooted him from his birthplace and home with barely any warning and absolutely no agreement on his part; the inviting lure of the near new baby grand eased the anger a little. Just a little though.

Pulling out the padded leather stool from beneath the piano and situating himself on top of it as comfortably as was possible, Edward Masen flexed his fingers in anticipation and then lifted the lid of **his **beloved piano. Smiling contently down at the mismatched keys, Edward closed his eyes and pressed down on the familiar chords; somehow feeling like home was just a little bit closer now.

Cracking open his eyelids after a few soothing minutes of nostalgia, Edward opened his music book to the bookmarked page and then let his fingers coax each and every note into forming a beautiful, soft melody. Downstairs, resting in the lounge, his parents listened blissfully as their only son let his gift surround the house; in that moment, making the both of them feel just a little more content, and just a little more at home here in this new town.

Eyes closing once again on their own accord, Edward's slight frame swayed slightly under the power of the song he was playing. Fingers moving with effortless grace, he played and played and played; and when the song finally drew to a close, he couldn't stop the soft, yet brilliant smile that crawled on to his lips; one that lit up every feature on his small, childish face.

"You play beautifully."

Fingers stuttering to a halt, and eyes widening in shock at the sudden, and **very **unfamiliar voice; Edward turned hesitantly and promptly fell off his chair at the sight. Jaw slack at the unexpected appearance of the person before him, Edward hastily scrambled to his feet and took in the sight with a somewhat dumbfounded expression. There, sitting delicately on his bed like she had been there her entire life was a young girl of about nine or ten. Even now, with Edward looking a ridiculous as he was, she merely watched him unblinkingly with wide, doe-like eyes. Brown – no, _mahogany_ - locks fell in soft, delicate curls around her face; framing her softly tanned skin, her innocent brown eyes, little button nose and red petal-like lips. She was wearing a bright, buttery sleeved-sundress with a white ribbon wrapped about her waist and tied in a flimsy little bow. Her petite feet were encased in rich cream dress shoes with pure white stockings that were tied with small butter-yellow bows. She was quite cute for a ten-year old... and for a girl.

_And now she is on my bed for some reason or another. _"Who are you?"

The confusion and bewilderment was heavy in Edward's voice, so much so that a soft accentuated amused smile slid onto the young girl's face. Pondering the young boy for a few minutes, while a slight hand rose to twirl its fingertips in her glossy brown hair, the girl promptly ignoring Edward's query, tilted her head to one side and choose to gaze into the apparent nothingness. After a brief moment or two, her dazed eyes sharpened, and she shook her head as if to clear away the thing that was hindering her concentration, and asked jade-eyed boy curiously, "Was that Beethoven? It was simply wonderful."

Finding himself nodding automatically in answer to the strange girl's question, Edward finally shook **himself** free of the bewildering stupefaction that had numbed his body and clouded his head (now, the both of them had suffered it... curious), and stood. Hesitating but a moment – girls were icky after all, but she was in **his** bedroom – Edward finally moved closer to where the girl was sitting comfortably on his bedspread and sat down stiffly beside her. Turning slightly, so that he was facing her properly, Edward reached out with one hand in welcome and replied politely, "I'm Edward Masen. And who are you?"

The petite, nameless brunette gazed at the proffered, outstretched hand in puzzled perplexity (as if she did not understand the gesture at all), neither raising her hand in acceptance of the greeting or asking Edward to lower his as a rejection. Instead, the girl merely let her doe-eyed gaze rest on his jade eyes for the barest of seconds before she smiled readily and answered in a sort of quivering chime-like tone, "Bella, and it's very nice to meet you, Edward Masen."

_**What...?**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter Two**

_**There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. **_

– _**Gilbert K. Chesterton**_

"Bella... so, is that your name?"

Edward's fingers clenched tightly around a handful of his comforter, as he took in the calm, unruffled behaviours and idiosyncrasies of this girl apparently called Bella. _This is so surreal..._

Seemingly unaware of the nervous tick that had randomly developed in the other child currently occupying the room, Bella smoothed one hand over the navy pinstripe comforter; bobbing her head in thought, before tipping her chin thoughtfully. Her head spun around abruptly, and Edward hurried to follow her gaze, her brown eyes landing admiringly on the ebony baby grand that slumbered next to the wall-to-wall, roof-to-floor length mirror.

Crossing her ankles elegantly, a contemplative air settled over the small girl's delicate features, and Edward was about to ask what she was thinking, when Bella's finger rose slightly, ghosting over imaginary keys midair, in a particular, familiar rhythm. Edward watched silently for a moment as he tried to identify the tune, but swiftly realized that the young girl's slender fingertips were mimicking the concerto that he had only just finished playing; copying the movements to perfection, as if by rote. Hoping desperately that she was another prodigy and a kindred spirit, Edward ran his hand through his hair, mussing it once again, and tried uselessly to still his fidgeting toes as he whispered, "Do you play the piano, Bella?"

Startled out of her silent recital, the doe-eyed Bella looked up and Edward couldn't help but watch in amusement as a soft, light pink blush rose swiftly across her cheeks and then ran down her neck; even her ears burned a slightly darker red colour. Lifting herself off of the bed with a graceful ease that Edward was sudden envious of, Bella crossed the room without so much as a sound and then hesitantly let her fingertips press down against one of the keys, a discordantly harsh note echoing throughout the room at her noticeably inept touch.

"No, I cannot play. My mother did though once... she played so beautifully."

"She played...?"

The words slipped past his lips without consent or even proper thought, and the second that they did, Edward wished deeply, profoundly that he could take them back. He was just a young boy, and therefore cringed away from all tears, and emotions and the like; but the endless despair on the girls face sent a sharp stab of pain through his chest. The thoughtless, careless query invoked a reaction he never wanted to invoke again, he thought, as Bella's previously clear doe-eyes filled with tears that quickly overrode their boundaries and ran unrestrainedly down her lightly bronzed skin. No matter that she wiped them steadily away as they fell; a new tear would soon take its place on her cheeks. Heartbreak clearly etched into every facet of her young, once unmarred face, and Bella sat quietly and placidly on the piano stool, letting her fingertip touch the gleaming ebony and ivory keys reverently, before she whispered solemnly, "She died."

Troubled and distressed by the sight and by pain that he had, even if was inadvertently, caused; the young boy rose from his seat on his rumpled bed and crossed over to where Bella was seated, still with a torrent of tears in her eyes. Though he was still perturbed and more than a little put-off by her tears, Edward found himself unable to leave her, and if only because of the manners that had been ingrained in him by his mother; the auburn-haired ten year-old reached forward to lay a comforting hand on Bella's shoulder. Only to stumble back in horrified shock when his hand fell clean through the young girl's body and did not stop until it hit the firm leather of supposably occupied piano stool.

Covering his mouth to stifle his rather unmanly and extremely girlish scream, Edward stared wide-eyed and dumbfounded at this Bella girl, who merely sat swinging her legs back and forth from her place on the stool, as if a boy's hand did not just past through her as if she were nothing more than air. After a few silent minutes ticked by, Bella finally turned faced him dead on with dry cheeks, as it appeared that her tears had finally abated. Taking in the terrified, and yet somehow blank look on Edward's face, she resting one hand on the padded stool and looked down again, watching as her fingers doodled patterns on the material of the stool. She only looked up again fifteen minutes later when Edward has composed himself enough to all but shout his query.

_What in the holy hell...? _"What **are** you?"

Flicking her head sideways with a curious look on her face, Bella's bangs fell over her eyes after only a second, which hid most of her emotions and expression from view. Cracking open her stilled lips, and thinking better of it, Bella chose to once again ignore the boy's burning questions and instead leant forward a way and tried to touch the shock-still youth. Unnoticed by the jade-eyed boy, Bella's lips dipped into a frown and her brows crinkled in confusion as her fingers, and then hand, passed through the boy's arm as if she was vapour. Just like what happened when he tried, and failed, to touch her, only minutes ago.

Frustrated, she huffed and replied, "I don't know what I am, Edward. But apparently I cannot touch you, even if I wanted to."

Unsatisfied with the answer, and yet somehow knowing that it was everything Bella herself knew on the subject, Edward huffed as well. Raking his fingers through his hair, he noticed that Bella's eyes seemed to track the movement his hands made, fixated on the bird's nest his frustration wrought on his already utterly unmanageable hairstyle. _Girls are weird..._

"Oh."

That was all he could think of to say; this situation was one he had never been in before and Edward was at once for a loss of what he was meant to do. Maybe he should just treat her like a kid that he would meet in the street? Ask her name, where she lived, if she wanted to come over to his house and other such like? Deciding that was the only course of action his dreadfully aching and confused head would conjure up, he figured he might as well go with it. _Well, it can't make things worse..._

"So, where do you live then, Bella?"

The girl in question tilted her head to the side again, and the action sweeping her hair away from her bright brown eyes which now shone with confusion; her body seeming to act on its own accord as it ghosted one hand over Edward's brilliantly coppery hair, not quite touching. Shaking her head to clear away the obvious distraction, Bella murmured her reply as she let her gaze wander lightly over the entire room, "Live? Well I am in this room mostly, though sometimes I like to take a stroll around the rest of the house. That blonde woman, with eyes just like yours... is she your mother? I like her; she has a very kind smile and a warm soul."

With the unperturbed acceptance of youth, Edward's childish mind skipped over the impossibility that this girl was living in his house, and smiled despite himself, before he nodded and declared happily, "Yeah, that's my mom. She's the best, even if she made me move here and leave all my friends behind."

His own words invoked potent nostalgia as his eyes closed unconsciously, his mind caught in the grips of his memories of a former life. They permeated through his mind, and he was unable to shake them easily. It took more than a few minutes and by the time he had shaken off the hold of the past, his brunette friend was nowhere to be seen, "Bella?"

Fingers clenching into fists, as doubt threatened to overcome him, _what if it was all a dream, _Edward called her name once more, and then again. After what felt like an eternity of lonesomeness, a soft trilling voice answered his call, pleasure clear in her tone, "Yes, Edward?"

Heart beating hard, Edward spun around so fast that his head protested the movement; but still, even if he didn't acknowledge it, a brilliant smile lit up his entire face as soon as he spotted the odd little girl who claimed to live in this room, standing over by his shelves. The smile only broadened when he finally noticed that Bella was perusing his ever-growing music collection with a soft, warm smile and sparkling, brown eyes. His collection was mostly classical in nature, ranging from Bach to the ever-popular Beethoven, and Mozart; but there were a few exceptions. His mother had insisted that he kept some of the lullabies he had listened to in infancy, and he had collected an assortment of eclectic mixes from various bands that were popular now, and also some that had been more in style during his parent's time. But the most important thing was the soft look that had overwhelmed Bella's features as she glanced over the titles, prompting Edward to ask with nary a second thought, "Do you like music, Bella?"

At his question, Bella started and twirled gracefully around on one perfectly poised toe, smiling brightly in the preteen's direction, which in turn made the youth duck his head in embarrassment at the radiant grin focused his way. Eyes still resting and capturing his, Bella ran a loving, affectionate hand across the entire classical section of his collection, and after that began touching each and every CD from his parent's time, reverently and deferentially. Her fingers lighting on a particular disk, she easily plucked it from the shelf and ran her eyes over the title with a tear gathering her eye, but as she placed it back on the shelf, Bella nodded and replied, "I love music. Mama used to play every single day, and she would sing so pretty too. Papa loved to hear her play, and sometimes he sang as well, though he could rarely hold a single note."

The unearthly glow that captured the brown-lit hue of Bella's eyes both ensnared and captivated young Edward's attention. The mere memory of her late parents seemed to lift the girl's spirits; her voice enriched with elation and joy, and her cheeks flushed a soft, delighted pink. Smile deepening with small creases crinkling her brow; the sparkle in her eyes was undeniable, and without realising it, Edward fell instep beside her. In a slow, fluid movement, his hand reached forward and rested right next to hers on the shelf, not quite touching her but as good as, considering the circumstances that bound them from physical touch.

Although he knew the answer, for it echoed sincerely in his soul, Edward flexed his fingers and asked his question anyway – for it just felt right to ask her, though for reasons he couldn't yet comprehend in the slightest. "Do you miss them, B—"

"Edward..." a soft voice crooned, her tone confused and surprised.

At the voice, both children turned to face the lady standing in the doorway, one hand still wrapped around the doorknob; neither face betrayed any emotion at the sudden appearance, but then again neither of them felt any surprise when Edward's mother, Elizabeth, had opened the door and then entered – it was her house after all. Edward, however, was a little taken aback by the perplexed look on her mother's face, as if she was trying to figure out some great mystery. As to what mystery it was, Edward was completely clueless.

Sucking in a breath, Elizabeth spared a moment to glace about her son's bedroom with a contented eye, before the Masen matriarch let them rest on her little boy. He didn't look all that different from yesterday, or even from earlier, but there was **something **there that Elizabeth couldn't quite put her finger on, which she didn't appreciate in the slightest. Unable to help her curiosity, she inquired, "Who are you talking to, Edward dear?"

Bella was oddly silent, but Edward pushed that fact to one side in favour of gawking at his mother like she was completely alien to him. _Is she blind or something? Bella is right there! _

Confused by his mother's apparent blindness, Edward huffed and pointed at the very obvious figure of Bella, who was standing placidly by his shelf. Blinking his own eyes to clear away any flaws in his crystal-clear vision, Edward was still met with the sight of Bella perusing the disks with unrivalled interest, though her glaze did flicker once or twice in his mother's direction and afterward, a small smile would tug at her reddened lips. Meeting his mother's gaze straight on, now that he was firm in his conviction that Bella truly was standing in his room, he waved his arms a little and retorted in childish frustration, "Mother! Bella is right here next to my CDs. Can't you see her?"

Elizabeth decided to take the path of least resistance and humour her son's obvious delusions, so she stared blankly in the general direction he was waving at for a few moments; her lips pursing when her eyes found only the undisturbed and painstakingly arranged CD collection that her son had become so particularly fond of over the years. Quickly reaching the conclusion that this **Bella **person had to be invisible, Elizabeth was left with only to options. One, her son was crazy and needed to be committed as soon as was humanly possible, or two, with this startling and somewhat upsetting move; her young son had sadly regressed back to the point where he had required imaginary friends once again. _Wonderful... just wonderful..._

Confident in the knowledge that her darling little boy wholly believed, with the stubbornness of a unmoveable stone, that this Bella was a genuine living and breathing human being, and completely unable of trying to convince him otherwise without shaking the boy's childish faith; Elizabeth was only left with the choice to let it be. The charade wouldn't hurt her after all, no more than the myth of Santa and the Easter Bunny did; and it would keep Edward comfortable in this new town, letting him adjust and make friends at his own pace. Besides, it wasn't the first time she had dealt with her son's overactive imagination; before he started school and made friends of his own, Edward had spent his days entertained by the mischievous Joey and Hamish.

Elizabeth was a little taken aback to discover that this new friend of his was female, instead of the often preferred male playmates, but she merely chalked it up to a burgeoning curiosity that would only intensify as Edward drew closer to adolescence and adulthood. That thought brought a tear to her eyes, but she wiped it away, stead-fast in her belief that Edward would be just fine; besides, if the last time was anything to go by, school and their new neighbours would likely cure him of his fanciful friend fascination. _Hopefully soon though..._

Shaking her head to clear her wandering thoughts, Elizabeth focused her attention on her son who was currently shaking her arm and gazing up at her with concerned eyes. A quick glance at the clock on her son's wall told her why. _Standing there blankly for ten minutes? No wonder he's worried._

Seeking to alleviate her beautiful boy's fears, she ruffled his hair playfully and easily shrugged off her inattentiveness with a careless wave that only mother's could get away with without being pelted with hundreds of questions. "Oh yes, hello there Bella. Remember though Edward dear, that you've piano practice for another hour. Come down for supper when you're done, okay darling?"

Nodding in relief that his mother was fine, and most likely just had a lot on her mind, with the move and new town and all, Edward moved happily over to his beloved piano and lifted the lid, quickly settling himself down comfortably. Without hesitation, he began tapping out a few keys to form a pretty and bittersweet, if slightly basic, classical tune. Smiling as he finished the melody with a small flourish, he responded to his mother's inquiry, "Sure mom, I don't mind playing for a bit more. Bella says that she love to hear me play. Her mother used to play too, you know."

There was a sort of profound sadness in the boy's voice as he spoke, but Elizabeth instead focused on the smile on her Edward's face as his lengthy, elegant fingers traipsed their way up and down the piano with an artless ease and grace one is only born into. Edward had, after all, been classified as a prodigy in the beautiful art at only three years old. Well, she decided, if her son _**was **_going to make up imaginary friends once again, at least this one helped him focus and refine his talent; and not squander his time with useless, and downright irritating, pranks. _Small blessings indeed..._

Satisfied now that her auburn-haired son would eventually grow to love this town and its quaint, family atmosphere as much as her husband and she already did, Elizabeth left the room in high spirits and descended the stairs; there was a half-thawed chicken in the refrigerator that was simply begging to be made into Edward's favourite dish; baked apricot chicken. Yes, both her husband and son would enjoy the supper and the cooling cobbler even more so.

Up the stairs, in the neatly furnished room of Edward Masen, Bella sat peacefully, a tender smile on her lips as she listened to the soft, twinkling melodies that echoed around the room, filling it with a sense of tranquillity and harmony. Her eyes often rested on the figure settled comfortably on the piano's leather-padded stool; watching the joyfulness alive on the coppery-auburn haired boy she had come to call Edward. Her gaze faltered quickly though, closing heavily under the sheer power and raw emotion that the music invoked; under its spell so completely that she didn't even notice the tears that trickled slowly down her cheeks as she listened.

As one song gradually drew to close, Bella's still form awoke and she wiped the tears away with an uncaring hand; moving quickly to the young pianist's side before he could flow from one melody to the next. As if under a spell, the girl watched in wonder and rapture as Edward's fingers found and pressed each and every key with fluidness and gracefulness so many could only dream to aspire to; it was if they were dancing in a agile and delicate ballet, flourishing and bending with astounding dexterity.

As Edward flow into the next song, Bella was quickly aware of the fact that this was a familiar one; her mother had spent months, upon months, trying to teach her when she had been alive. Waving away the bittersweet memory, Bella hummed along with the softly trilling notes, and though her heart was a little desperate to sing, she was still content not to. This particular melody had no words anyway. _Oh well, we have plenty of time..._

"She couldn't see you, could she? My mother, I mean. She couldn't see you, Bella."

Startled by the question, Bella reached out and rested one finger against, while still not touching, the young boy's skin. Slowly, she ran her finger in a soothing motion over the crinkled lines that marred his childish face because of his thoughtful, and deepening, frown. Edward's skin twitched under her ghostlike touch, but smoothed nonetheless, the fact that Bella did not even touch him unrealized by the both of them.

"No, she could not," the brown-eyed brunette agreed gently, her breath a soft, sweet whisper across his cheek, "But it's okay, Edward. It's okay because **you** can see me."

Exactly as she hoped it would, a beatific smile at her words made Edward's saddened face disappear under the sheer weight and magnitude of his joy; the change so profound that Bella had to stifle a smile at the transformation. It appeared that her newly found friend had an issue with broodiness, but Bella was still quite confident that, despite that, Edward would be brilliant to be around.

After all, his mere smile warmed her in a way she had long forgotten. And for once, in the longest time, the young girl with brown hair and the eyes of a doe, felt utterly at piece.

_Bless you, Edward Masen, bless you ever so much._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter Three **

_**All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. **_

– _**Henry Ellis**_

_- Some time later - _

"Bella...?"

Attention piqued by the soft, anxious tone of her friend's voice, the curious brunette looked up from her resting place on Edward's bed and paused only a moment before moving. Putting aside the worn novel of his mothers that she had borrowed, she lay it face down and open to the page she had been reading so voraciously; she turned her attention to her young friend, but did not speak. Instead she merely waited, with her head tilted slightly to one side and her gaze locked onto his, for Edward to gather his thoughts and tell her of his problems.

The quiet acceptance was something that Edward had come to adore and cherish in his curious little friend; the girls at school were giggly, annoying creatures that seemed to have a strange language all their own. Bella was nothing like that; she was cheerful, and she did laugh, but Edward thought that the bell-like sound was beautiful. And then there was the fact that she never rushed him like his other friends did, especially when he was very hesitant to broach a subject. She merely listened, and gave him advice when he needed it, or distracted him when he need that.

Now, as he watched her nimble little fingers twirl the yellow fabric of her dress, Edward pulled his thoughts together and then swallowed loudly, before walking over to Bella and settling down beside her. They were nary a hairsbreadth away from touching one another, but both Edward and Bella knew that neither would close the minuscule gap between them. As much as he'd come to cherish her, Edward would still shudder at the feeling of his hand passing through her like smoke, and Bella would always grow inexplicitly sad when she was once again reminded that she was incapable of physical human touch.

"Alec and the guys want to take me out camping for my birthday."

A little startled by his explosive confession, Bella hummed softly to herself as she gathered her wits and turned her soft brown gaze directly onto the confused young boy. Puzzled as to why Edward felt and sounded so conflicted by something she assumed he would enjoy, Bella parted her lips and then paused. A sweet scent washed over Edward's face as Bella's brown gaze grew only more confused with the situation, but before he could speak, Bella interrupted. "Do you not like them anymore, Edward? You all have been friends for nearly a year now."

Sighing miserably the auburn-haired eleven-year old let his body fall back onto his bed, somehow managing to be lethargically boneless and extremely tense all at the same time. Roiling with peculiar mixed emotions, Edward was helpless to do anything else but peer up at his friend with darkened jade-coloured eyes. Bella smirked when she noticed that his always mussed hair became a veritable bird's nest because of his action, but still when Edward reached forward with one hand.

Time seemed to stop as the now tanned hand stopped barely a millimetre away from her shoulder-blade, and both held their breath as he pressed forward and closed the gap. For a split second, every little thing was right in the world, but once again, Edward's hand slid right on through her clothes and her skin, as if the girl in yellow was nothing more than a mere apparition.

Instead of shuddering as he was known to when this happened, Edward simply sighed wistfully and Bella's heart ached at the despairing sound. She knew that her incapability to touch him annoyed Edward, but she was often able to divert his attention; yet in the face of this resignation and gloom, Bella was at a loss as to how to help him.

In the end, it was Edward how helped himself out of his depression. Eyes spying a particular object, the youth's gaze sharpened and focused, losing all sign of misery, until he was practically glaring at the perfectly innocent item that lay abandoned on hid bed. Bella could not help but watch with an amused eye as she took in the fiery glare that Edward had for the book she had been reading; it was as if he wanted to incinerate its pages with his glare.

She knew the problem immediately, after seeing the vehemence on his face and the anger in his eye, but was still at a loss. She could not do anything about the issue, and neither could he; but he still worked himself up into a fury about it. _Such a silly boy..._

Lost in her musings, Bella jumped a bit when Edward's livid, and frustrated words spewed from his lips with a helplessness that the raging anger could not quite mask for her. She had known him for quite a while now, and knew him _almost _inside out, back to front.

"Why can't I touch_**you**_? You can touch everything else, like that stupid book, but not me!"

A shiver of _something _crept up and down Bella's spine at the possessive look on her friend's slowly, but surely ageing face and the doe-eyed girl was deeply unsure whether or not she liked it; there was _something _there that frightened her immensely and she shuddered under its weight. Pushing the unpleasant feeling to the back of her mind, Bella could not help but feel a little happy about the acknowledgement that Edward really did care for her.

That aside, Bella thought that Edward was overreacting just a little; she had thought that her young friend had accepted after just a few weeks into the move that they wouldn't be able to touch. It was apparent that Edward had not, even though it was now approaching a year since he and his mother and father had left Chicago.

Deep in thought, Bella ran her finger mindlessly along the spine of the classic she had been reading blissfully on minutes before; she did not have an answer for him, especially not one that he wanted to hear. Choosing to ignore, no matter how hurtful it was, the resentment and frustration Edward was sending her way, she simply acknowledged to him what she knew about the matter, little as it was, "I do not believe I am truly alive, Edward. I get flashes sometimes, and they scare me. I also do not believe you should even be able to _**see **_me, Edward, but like I have said, you can and that is what makes everything okay."

Expelling the breathe that he had been holding in anticipation of some answers, Edward's face all but crumpled at her vague response, before hardening into a blank expression. A twitch at his lip, Edward pushed outward, in a useless and wholly unsuccessful attempt to shove the petite brunette, and then jumped off the bed and stalked to his piano. Seating himself on the stool, his finger began to lash out at the key, belting out anger-filled and bitter tunes; a stoic look to his face during every single second.

Bella's heart tore.

Both of them knew well enough that he could actually hurt her, because he couldn't even _**touch **_her, but it wasn't that that caused the hole in Bella's heart at the angry young boy's actions. It was not the gesture itself; it was the clear meaning behind it. Edward wanted Bella to know that he was very angry and hurt and upset _**with her. **_He wanted to hurt her.

And he did.

Yet behind that throbbing hurt, Bella knew that Edward was still just a young, clueless boy, and that his emotions were extremely volatile. He had hurt her with his actions, but it was only because he was hurting as well that he had acted out in the first place. Besides, Bella had already resigned her mind to the fact that while her Edward was an remarkable prodigy with chivalrous manners, and was surprisingly mature for his eleven years, he also brought along with him a notoriously short temper and a broodiness that was unrivalled by any that she had ever witnessed.

Still, he was so beautiful when he played; whether it was weaving a soothing lullaby or coaxing a difficult and complex concerto from the dark wood of his piano. Or even now, when he was striking the keys with all the negative emotions that churned within him, until even the darkest, harshest noise became a song even in of itself.

_There is no other way to explain it... he's Edward, and that's all there is to it._

"I'm sorry.

It took Bella only a split second to realize that the thundering, crashing music had come to an end and that Edward had whispered his apology to her with his face buried deep in his hands. Wrought with guilt at his actions, Edward's fingers curled and pulled tightly at the thick, dishevelled strands of his auburn-hued hair. Sensing his inner turmoil and heart-felt regret, Bella rose to return to his side once again; the innocent and yet somehow guilty book knocked carelessly to the floor from her move and then left there, abandoned. As she reached out for him with soft eyes, Edward's lips parted and everything came spilling out of his mouth in a rush of mixed emotions and words and feelings and need.

"I want you to be able to come camping with us! And I want you to be able to meet all my friends... and meet mom and dad. And I want you to come to the park with me, and to school, and to eat ice-cream sodas down at Maria's on Saturdays. I want you to be there for _**everything**_**, **Bella."

Tearing prickling and threatening to fall from her steadily filling eyes, Bella impulsively grabbed the light blue jacket off the floor that Edward had discarded, and pressed the soft material against her friend's body. Ignoring the brightness of his eyes and his confused gaze, Bella gradually, carefully, pressed her own body against the jacket; wrapping her best friend in a tight, pseudo hug – the best she could give him. _It's the best I can do, Edward._

Seeing the broad and dazzling grin on Edward's face was enough to put Bella's mind to ease, and though she knew that this was not the end of this issue, for now, it was enough for him. And it was enough for her too... she had been alone a long time.

But now, despite his many faults, Bella was eternally grateful for Edward. He made her feel alive; alive and happy and free. And there was no way in hell that she was letting that go.

Carding her hands through his hair, though she knew he could not feel it, Bella hummed softly under her breath and rocked against her favourite person in the entire world. Soon Edward's hum joined hers, and Bella smiled peacefully. "You know that I will always be here for you, Edward. I am not going anywhere, promise."

Bella watched Edward move about the room rambunctiously, eager hands gripping this and that and mouth running a mile a minute as he told her everything his friends had told him about the camping trip that would start today. Edward had been studiously counting down the days on his calendar, and now the day had finally arrived in all its sun-shone glory.

March 23rd – Edward's eleventh birthday.

A soft smile crossed her lips from her place on the bed, as her friend threw mountains of clothes into a small camping rucksack, along with shoes and swim trunks and various other miscellaneous items, most of which Bella thought had absolutely nothing to do with camping. Carding her fingers through her long tresses, a habit she had quickly picked up from Edward, Bella sighed when she thought of the dull weekend ahead. Edward's birthday fell on a long weekend, so she wouldn't see the jade-eyed youth for two long days. It would be the longest time the two had gone apart, but Edward, in his excitement, seemed to be oblivious to the fact.

It was for the best, Bella knew, but it still hurt to be so wholly pushed to the side and forgotten like a broken or outgrown toy. She wasn't a toy, she was a person; a person that had stuck by Edward's side for an entire year and listened to him and cared for him.

Resigned to the nature of little boys, Bella toyed with the simple chain necklace about her throat, twirling the pendant easily between her fingers. Edward would be fine there without her, he had managed for the other ten years, and she had managed to live without Edward for the many years that had passed. He would be back in three days, and life would continue as it had for the past year. She could endure, and moreover, now she could read the books that Edward seemed to find delight in hiding from her; she would be completely undisturbed. The sweet poetry and old-fashioned words of Jane Austen's novels would pass the time pleasantly, and sooner than she knew it, Edward would be home.

Besides it would be good practice for her; for one day Edward would become a man, and go out to meet the world all on his own; to getting married, to have children and to grow old.

_And Bella would remain here, frozen as a ten-year old girl in a yellow dress_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter Four**

_**Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But sadly, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept. Because we cannot accept the truth of humanity, we suffer.**___

– _**Shunryu Suzuki**_

"You are home."

Utterly free of emotion, though still heavy with feeling, the softly spoken words barely carried across the expanse of silent room. And yet, each and every word managed to capture their intended with an ease that one could only be born to; a talent that could never be learned. Attention ensnared by the curious tone in the voice, Edward Masen's eyes lifted to stare at the petite little girl across the room; the one that had lived in his room for over two years now, and the same young brunette with whom he was inseparable from.

Mouth dry, and mind blank, Edward nodded in Bella's direction, all the while avoiding her knowing brown eyes; for lack of something to do, the auburn-haired youth pulled his sweat-sticky jersey from his body and tossed it in the laundry hamper. Still feeling unsure for some reason, Edward took his time to unlace his sneakers, concentrating only on the stubborn knots, before tossing them into one empty corner of his room; uncaring that the dirt that clung to the soles was now spattered all over the clean floor.

Plopping his aching body down onto his bed with an audible sigh, Edward ran one hand through his messy, windswept and now tangled, locks. Unable to delay it any longer, the nearing thirteen year old looked up from staring at the floor and Edward took a moment; a moment to _really look _at the little girl with doe eyes that sat silently, and solemnly on his piano stool, her fingers doodling rather meaningless patterns into the keys in favour of playing, for she lacked any talent as a pianist.

Bella had not grown, not a single inch and not a single pound. She was exactly the same as she had been when he had met her, but that meeting was steadily nearing three years ago now. Her hair was that same rich brown with steaks and highlights of red and gold in the sunlight; her eyes were still brown and doe-eyed, the innocence in them untouched by time. Her skin had not paled, but it also had not darkened, dutifully remaining that selfsame soft tan; not even her voice had changed. Her tone was childish with that hint of one who had seen more than was thought and her laugh was still a beautiful tinkling symphony to his ears.

So, despite the fact the Bella indeed had not changed in all the time he had known her, Edward felt suddenly awkward around the girl, and could not help but be unnerved by the very sight of her. His heart thumped oddly, and his stomach quivered; he felt dizzy and sick, and his tongue tied in knots around her, unable to say even the slightest thing without sounded retarded.

At an absolute loss, Edward grunted helplessly and flopped down on his back atop his bedspread, his whole body humming in pleasure as he relaxed. His arm and leg muscles were tight, and burned a little; he had decided to join the junior basketball league that was held after school, and though he loved the sport and excelled at it, his body was not as co-operative. Every muscle he had groaned in displeasure, and screamed in pain if he moved too fast or too roughly.

At her friend's obvious discomfit, Bella's eyes fluttered over in his direction and she smiled softly, though her eyes remained saddened by the display. Sighing inaudibly, Bella watched her young friend try to massage his sore muscles in vain, completely oblivious of his friend coming to grips with a realization she had felt coming, but was unable to comprehend now that it had actually come. It had only been a year ago that the pair had been as close as anything, but things were changing, and doing so at a quickening pace.

Edward was growing up and he was changing, and though she dearly wished that she could, Bella could not do the same. There was a gap forming between them and though it was not large, in fact it was barely noticeable, it was there and it would only expand in the coming years. And there was nothing that the petite brunette could do but wring her hands in frustration and hopelessness as he pulled away from her, because for her knowledge and wisdom, she was just herself a child.

She was but a little girl of ten years; one that should only have to worry about what she would be getting for Christmas and Easter, or what movie her friends and she should see on the weekend. She should not have to wonder how much longer she had with her only friend and companion before he outgrew and discarded her. She should not have to wonder how she would manage being all alone again, with no one to help her pass the endless hours and empty days.

How much longer did she have with him anyway? Six years? Less... maybe more... what would she do without him? How much would it hurt when he was gone completely; how would it compare to now, when he was pulling away from her in agonizingly slow motion – taunting her with his looming and imminent farewell.

Unsettled even more by the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between the two of them, Edward scratched at his scalp with a sheepish expression, his fingers twiddling nervously in his lap as the boy tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint exactly what had changed since he and Bella had first met. There definitely was _something _there, but the jade-eyed youth couldn't quite figure out why he suddenly felt so awkward around the girl that he had always been so comfortable around. It wasn't as if Bella had done something wrong, on the contrary, the brunette was constantly doing the right thing; her only fault was that it could be said that she cared to much for others, and not enough for herself, which Edward felt could hardly be called a fault.

Tugging roughly at his messed up curls with frustration growing within him, Edward hefted his still sore form off of his bed and walked to the doorway, murmuring a vague farewell to the forlorn brunette that remained as he stepped out of the room. Walking briskly from the discomfited and ill at ease atmosphere that filled his bedroom, Edward bounded down the staircase, his leaps rattling the frame a little.

Inside Edward's room though, Bella turned from her seat and gazed at the closed door with a despair that seemed to only grow more intense with each passing moment; to her, it felt as if Edward was closing the door on their friendship and was ready to move on now. And though she was fairly sure that that was not the case, she could not help how she felt or the tears that ran unabashedly down her once dry cheeks. Not even the dozens upon dozens of happy, joyous memories that filled the room could bring her their usual comfort, she thought as she sobbed heavily into her arms, tears leaving droplets of salt and water on her dress.

Her memories of Edward were priceless, and she often relied heavily on them on the days when her friend left for more than a day on sleepovers or camping trips, but still. On those occasions, Bella was well aware of when her Edward would be back, and he would have brand new stories to share with her; whereas now, one day Edward would grow up completely and he would leave her behind, and would never return to her side. It was unbearable to comprehend.

Downstairs, ignorant of the harrowing musings of his friends, and completely fixated on his own, Edward raked his hands through his hair, nerves apparent, as he stared down at the bench in the kitchen. Trying to distract his mind from what he was about to do, he studiously counted the millions of grains that made up the bench, playing dumb to the extremely telling look that had taken over his mother's face. It did not do much good though, for he only grew more anxious about talking about _**feelings **_with his mother of all people, and Elizabeth Masen's smile only grew until she looked akin to the cat that got the cream _and _the canary.

Elizabeth took in the softly flushed cheeks and fidgeting hands of her darling Edward, and easily got the gist of what this discussion would be about. Although her son was polite and was more mature than other young boys, he was still a twelve year old boy; and talking about any kind of lovey-dovey feeling was abhorred instinctively. A chuckle evident in her voice, although she did try her best to hide it, Elizabeth questioned her abashed teen, "Are you alright, Edward dear?'

Startled by his mother's query, Edward looked up and met his mother's eyes, those jade coloured eyes that so resembled his own, and stared deeply into them; desperately trying to convey his issue to her without ever having to say it aloud. Unfortunately, he was no more telepathic than she was, so his dilemma would remain unsolved unless he told her.

Mustering up all of the courage that he currently possessed, Edward attempted to sound strong and sure, but happened to fail miserably; instead he came off as uncertain as he stuttered through his reply, "T-there is this-s g-girl and I-I-I've known her-r f-for ages-s! B-b-but now I-I-I feel all we-weird a-round her-r. I-I don't know w-what t-to say or w-what t-to do. W-what's wrong with me?"

A fond smile slipping onto her lips, Elizabeth looked down upon her distraught twelve year-old with a sort of amused pity. She knew that she should not find any amusement in her son's confusion, but it was a little funny to see her little boy so up in arms over a girl. After a while though, the pity won out and she reached forward to lay a comforting hand on her Edward's shoulder. All he needed was a little guidance, and some of his mother's good old advice, and he would get along just fine.

A tear splashed onto the counter at the thought of Edward growing up; it would not be long until he was all grown and ready to leave the nest. Shaking the thoughts off for a moment, she addressed her son softly, the motherly tone in her voice unmistakeable, "Edward honey, do you like this girl?"

Elizabeth eyes teared at the soft look on his little boy's face at her question, though she was a little confused to see his head turn in the direction of the staircase; his eyes flickering curiously for a little more than a second before he swallowed thickly. Eyebrows furrowing on his face, Edward swallowed thickly again and answered roughly, "Of course I like her, mom. We're really good friends."

A convincing smile pasted onto her face, Edward remained utterly oblivious to the bafflement that ran rampant through his mother's mind as she tried to assimilate what he had announced so easily to her. Really good friends...? Edward had never before spoken of any girl that he was close to or even held particular affection for, and none of the other mothers in the neighbourhood had ever implied that any of their daughters regularly hung out with _any _of the boys, least of all Edward.

Perhaps... yes, that had to be it; her Edward must have been greatly exaggerating the relationship with this girl, as boys were often found to have done. In reality, Elizabeth surmised, her young boy had probably only spoken to this girl once or twice, a few at the most, and saw that as being 'really good friends' with a girl. Satisfied with her rationalization, Elizabeth doled out the rest of her advice, "Well, my darling, just talk to this girl. It sounds to me that you have a bit of a crush on her. And who knows, she may feel exactly the same way. You will never know until you ask."

As expected, a disgusted slightly horrified look overcame her Edward's face at the idea of talking to a girl about his feelings, but Elizabeth's quick eye caught the soft glint in his eyes and the pink blush on his cheeks that belied his supposed abhorrence to the fact. She knew her son well; Edward would take her advice if only to satisfy his own curiosity. For though her son acted the gentlemen; he was inquisitive to a fault and had an unquenchable thirst for answers, not matter how elusive. Yes, he would definitely take her advice to heart. _Well, at least I will find out who this girl is._

Face burning in humiliations at actually talking to**his mother **of all people about this, Edward merely bobbed his head in thank-you, shook of his mother's hand on his shoulder and bolted. He had to get the hell out of there and fast; he bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time and ended up at his closed bedroom, staring at it with his hands covering his bloodstained cheeks. Swallowing the large lump in his throat, Edward turned his doorknob slowly and all but tiptoed into his room.

He avoided all eye contact with the petite girl perched on his piano, as his mind ran away with him, thoughts racing through his brain with a surprising pace. Did he like Bella? That was the crux of the problem; he just did not know whether or not he did.

The concept of liking a girl was somewhat foreign to him; after all, he was still just a twelve – nearly thirteen – year old boy; but then again, all his friends talked about the girls at school the same way he had heard some of the older boys did, though they were decidedly less graphic. Even Alec, his best friend, for example positively mooned over a girl in the grade above them, Jane Volturi. Even Edward had to admit that Jane was extremely pretty for a girl; she had elfin features with long, gold blonde hair and bright, green eyes that sparkled when she was happy. She was pretty enough, that nearly all the boy in class watched the girl wherever she went, especially when she was hanging out with her best friend, Victoria Staines; a tall, willowy red-head with the most startling blue eyes.

Oblivious to his more the obvious, and frankly, blatant staring; Edward compared his young friend to those other girls, trying to make sense of everything. Bella was definitely younger than the other two girls; she was a mere ten years old, while both Jane and Victoria were thirteen. And like many of the other older girls, the two teens were starting to develop very _interesting _additions to their bodies, ones that captured and captivated his and all the other boys' attention; Bella on the other hand was still childish in both figure and face.

And yet Edward found that he preferred the mahogany colour of Bella's hair to any other, and he especially loved the way that it gleamed in the gentle sunlight; sure Jane's blonde and Victoria's red were pretty, but they just didn't compare. The unique soft tan of Bella's skin also happened to capture his attention more readily than the dark sun-kissed tan of most of the girls at his school, like Jane, or the creamy complexion of Victoria and her cousins. And no one had eyes like Bella; doe-eyed and melted chocolate, they were rich and expressive. Not to mention the fact that the grating giggles of the girls at school irritated him now end, even more than their raucous laughter; laughter that made him long for the soft, tinkling laugh of Bella's, and sound that was both pleasing and soothing.

Perhaps he really did like her after all, because although he thought that Jane and Victoria, and well Leah, Lauren and Jessie were all nice to look at with his friends; there was something inside him that felt like it was tugging him in her direction. He was drawn to Bella's unassuming ways and her soft smiles. She warmed him. _Crap, I __**do **__have a crush on Bella._

Bella watched as Edward sat on his bed and wallowed in his thoughts for a time; already she felt a little more content that he would stick around a little while longer. Not to mention that she was deeply intrigued by the soft blush that had only just began to fade, especially when it returned full force only moments later. Curiosity piqued, she asked, "Edward, are you okay?"

Woken rudely from his musings, Edward bolted upward on his bed and blushed brightly when he noticed that there was no way in hell that Bella had not seen him staring at her with all of the subtly of a bull in a china shop. Bella's head cocked to one side at she took in the steadily pinking cheeks of her best friend, but she only blinked passively in his direction, once again letting him come to her in his own time and on his own terms.

Rubbing his head sheepishly, Edward sighed and peeked out at his brunette companion from beneath the safety of his eyelashes, wondering in vain what on earth he was meant to this girl. How could he tell Bella, the girl that he had known since he was just ten years old, that he had a crush on her? Deciding that the other thing he could do was man up and just do it, like he had done with his mother earlier, Edward gritted his teeth and tried to sound as confident as possible... and once again failed miserably. "I-I-I um, I r-really l-like you, ahem, Bella; like I **r-really **like-e y-you."

Silence met his words and after a few moments Edward lifted his head, which had dropped at some point during his relatively awkward declaration, to find Bella blinking owlishly at him. The total lack of comprehension on her face did not bode well, especially when instead it appeared to say that she had absolutely no idea what or who she was looking at. Groaning, Edward's head dropped into his hand and his feet kicked out blindly in exasperation; not only had he sounded like an utter idiot and messed up his confession to the girl he like, but said girl either had no idea what he was talking about or she did, and did not feel the same way. In the auburn-haired youth's opinion, neither was a very good option. _This sucks._

A few minutes passed before a shuffling noise and a slightly shift in the bedspread made Edward keenly aware that he was no longer alone as he sat perched on his bed. Raising his head reluctantly, his jade eyes met those of his best friend and confidant, Bella, and despite himself, a smile curved his lips. The brunette herself had a decidedly wistful look on her face, and a look of sorrow welling in her eyes as her hand, which she had raised, only pass through the cheek she attempted to touch as if she was nothing more than smoke; intangible and elusive smoke. Dropping her arm with a resigned sigh, Bella let her moist brown eyes wander all over his room, looking anywhere that was not his face, as her breathing stuttered and tear flowed freely down her pale cheeks.

Sniffling quietly, Bella finally turn to face the abashed and tentative teenager, who had thought that time had finally stopped as he had waited on baited breathe for her reply. A bittersweet, sad smile crossed her lips, and her eyes shone with unshed tears and she curled her fingers deeply into his comforter for no reason other than wanting to hold onto something. Lips quivering with emotion, Bella whispered her answer, not a single stutter to be heard, "I like you too, Edward. I like you so very much, but you are growing up and I am not. I am ten, and will be for a long time, while you will only grow older with every passing year."

Bella paused for a second, catching her breath and trying unsuccessfully to stop the tears that were once again running down her cheeks. Unable to halt them, she continued on regardless, "It would not be fair for either of us to begin such a charade as a relationship. We cannot even _**touch **_Edward, and I would not condemn that kind of life on you for anything."

Silence permeated throughout the room, Edward's young heart crushing under the weight of such a rejection of his growing feelings from his oldest friend. Unconsciously, or consciously, he reached for he; unwilling to let her turn away from him, but as always, his hands swept through her effortlessly. A frustrated scowl lighting up his entire face, he was filled with anger and misery, but those feelings soon faded when he noticed the deep sorrow and despair that showed on his best friend's face, on his Bella's face. This was his Bella; she would not hurt him just for the mere sake of it, she cared for him and only did what she thought was best for him. He knew in that moment that just as his heart was breaking, so to was hers.

"Bella, I will always love you."

Compared to the stuttered and feeble confession of his crush only moments before, his words now were steady, sure and heartfelt. He did love his Bella, and nothing would ever change that. They may not be able to be what he wanted, but she had promised to never leave him, and he believed that; it was enough for him.

Caught up in the whirlwind of his own thoughts, Edward missed the understanding, and yet utterly heartbreaking expression that slipped onto his young friend's face. The sad, knowing glint in her doe eyes went unheeded, and Bella's sadness went unsoothed. Edward would remain ignorant of the things that Bella herself had had to resign herself to; and if he ever understood for himself, most likely it would not even matter anymore.

Heart aching in her petite chest, Bella hid away all her heartache and pain, and promised softly, her words a soft, velvety whisper in the wind, "And I will always love you, Edward Masen. I promise that nothing will ever make me stop from loving you. Not even you, Edward."

Lost in tremulous thoughts and eyes closed as he lay back on his bed, muscles relaxing under the knowledge that his Bella would always be with him, the softly spoken vow of the little brunette with brown doe-like eyes went unheard, but though Edward could not, Bella could feel the change they had wrought on the pair. Nothing from this moment on would ever be the same.

_For Edward __**would **__change._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter Five**

_**We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.**__**  
**__** – **__**Joseph Roux**_

The sands of time seemed to speed along more rapidly all of the sudden, and before she even knew it, Bella was saying goodbye to yet another three years, and goodbye to the young boy called Edward. For the handsome, little tyke she had befriended at ten had grown dramatically in the six short years that they had known one another. _Oh but how he had changed._

From a messy corner of the room, next to the dusty, unused collection of classical music and sweet lullabies, a young girl of ten watched the goings-on of the teenager that inhabited the room with solemn eyes. Her eyes remained strangely dry though profoundly sad, as she watched the young **man **of sixteen years sleep peacefully in his bed, hair in wild disarray and limbs sprawled across the sheets comically.

Was it only a few months ago that Bella would have looked on with an amused smile, ready to tease Edward the minute he awoke. She could still imagine the sheepish, bleary look he would always send her way, before he rubbed the burgeoning stubble on his lip and got up. Bella had learned to cherish these moments, because they had slowly grown less and less; so much so that the doe-eyed girl had tried to prepare herself for this moment as best she could, but there was nothing she could do to ward off the devastation that his actions would ultimately cause her because she loved him, and she had promised.

She had promised to love him forever.

Somewhere in the midst of her dismal thoughts, Edward had gotten out of his bed and showered, shrugging into a shirt and pants; pulling both from a pile on the floor that Elizabeth Masen had long ago asked him to remove. In typical teenage fashion though, Edward ignored her, for it seemed that even he was not immune to the disease that took hold of young children through puberty and made them become self-absorbed, disrespectful brats.

A shrill ring echoed throughout the silent room, one not unlike that of Rosalie Hale's of six years ago, and Edward flicked open his cell phone with a grin at the caller's name, one hand ruffling his already perfectly dishevelled mess of auburn locks. Bella listened to his voice as Edward chatted with his friend, Alec; the little brunette's heart both racing and aching simultaneously at the sound of his voice. Edward's once childishly soft voice had broken near his fourteenth birthday, deepening until it was deep and husky.

A slam awoke Bella from her ever wandering thoughts just in time to see Edward making an overly dramatic exit; the door he had meant to close crashing against the hinges and swinging back open, giving Bella one last glance had the fast moving teen. His low voice running about a mile a minute as Edward spoke excitedly into the buttoned electronic that was clenched tightly in his fist, Bella's view of the young man disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. In a flash of bronzed, mussed hair and tanned, tawny skin; a flicker of jade green and a wide, enthused smile, and then he was gone.

In the background Bella could hear Elizabeth shouting something out to her wayward son, and the shuddering of the front door on its hinges as Edward undoubtedly slammed it as well, but it was not until she heard the unmistakeable sound of a car revving violently and a horn beeping that she ever returned to reality. Standing by the window, the petite girl in a yellow sundress watched quietly as Edward leapt into the large jeep and greeted his gang of friends with raucous laughter and bumped fists. The unreadable expression on the girl's face did not change.

Untouched utterly by the hand of the time, the eternal ten year old watched on as the shiny black jeep's engine revved and its tires screeched against the tarmac as it disappeared in a kick of dust, the arms of its occupants dangling from various windows and their loud whoops and calls carrying on the morning wind.

It was only when the jeep became but a black smear in her vision that Bella finally released the iron clad hold that she had on her emotions. In a second, despair and emptiness filling the small brunette until she was overwhelmed and nearly distraught; but no matter how much her feelings burned and roiled inside of her, bone dry eyes remained on her pale face. Her tear ducts seemed to protest, as if they could not bear to shed anymore tears over such a boy.

Edward Masen.

Once a wiry, somewhat awkward ten year old and her childhood friend had become a toned, and exceedingly tall teenager of sixteen years with glowing jade eyes, a sex-ridden smile and hard, wiry muscles. Not to mention that his perpetually messy locks were now in fashion as 'sex hair.' Edward towered over Bella's tiny four foot three as he was now easily six feet tall, and as time had gone by, Bella had known that he often had overlooked her presence in his room. She had felt his dwindling interest in his childhood friend; she had cried over the ease he had as he moved into the world, uncaring that he would start to leave her behind. And then today it had happened.

Edward Masen had finally forgotten all about her.

Bella had always known, right from the moment that she had first spoken to the boy and he had answered, that the world with its allure would slowly, but ever so surely, pull him from her; and over the last two years, she had seen it beginning. He started growing progressively distant, immersing himself in the real world of teenage life with all his perks and pitfalls. It had started with a casual dater here and there, until Edward quickly grew a reputation of being the it-guy at school; taking out various girls every weekend and often on school nights as well. Soon that chats she and Edward had once shared were replaced with dates and phone calls other girls his age.

There was that incident a year ago that Edward closed his piano lid shut for the last time and never opened it again; an action that had resulted in more than a few screaming matched with his parents about giving up such a talent and the values of commitment, all of which the auburn-haired teen had promptly ignored. Now a sheet covered the sleek baby grand that Edward had once cherished and prized above all else; the same black piano that had drawn that music-adoring brunette to him in the first place.

Instead of finetuning his obvious talent as a pianist, Edward sadly caved to conformity and instead chose to join the school's basketball team, slowly clawing his way through the ranks until he was named team captain. Instead of becoming the world famous pianist and attending Julliard like he had once dreamed, Edward Masen's sole ambition at sixteen was to play ball and hopefully win a scholarship to play college basketball.

And yet, even with all that, Edward had never forgotten about her. It was true that they were not as close had they had once been, not by far, but he had _**always **_remembered her. Though she was of course saddened that the long talks and comfortable time that they had once spent in each other's presence had ended; and she definitely despaired when akin to his tossed aside piano, the winsome little brunette was often pushed aside in favour of a date, or for a game or just an afternoon hanging out with friends... but Edward always acknowledged her and found some time for her, even if it was just a minute or two after he awoke.

And then Bree had entered the picture.

Though she had yet to actually meet, or see the girl in person, Bella was well aware of who Bree was and exactly what Bree looked like; the numerous pictures that had migrated to Edward's bedroom and now littered most every surface of his room ensuring that. She had spent hours while Edward was away, off doing something with someone that was not Bella, just staring at the photos. If only to pass the boring, empty hours, the ten year old had analysed the pictures; memorizing every detail the photos contained.

Bree Cornet was quite a pretty girl, not beautiful in a typical way, but there was something about her that stood out in a way that could not quite be explained. Something that was intriguing about her, a quality that caught the eye effortlessly. Her hair was dark, not quite red not quite black, but a shade between the two, and her almond shaped eyes were by far the darkest green that Bella had ever seen in her lifetime. Her skin was creamy shade of white despite the near constant sunshine and a small beauty spot adorned the corner of her left cheek. Her features were defined, yet delicate; almost as like porcelain and she had the tiniest frame, making her appear much more delicate than she actually was, if Edward's tales were anything to go by.

The pair had been tentative at first, Bree was new to the school and not really outgoing by nature, and Edward was still struggling under the weight of his friend's expectations; someone so in demand like the auburn-haired jock, should not be tied down to a single girl. Through many weeks of casual dates and incessant flirting, it seemed both Edward and Bree had gained the courage to make a real go of the relationship, much to the disappointment of many girls in the school.

From what Bella understood though, the tension had eased and if the increasingly long and often nauseatingly sweet phone calls were any indication, the relationship had soon been accepted by most. Bella, however, was incredibly torn.

The serious talks over the futures and dreams and adulthood lingered far longer in her head than she wished, her brain mulling over the facts until they had been drummed in; Edward would leave for college in a few short years, he would get a job and most likely get married, possibly to Bree and settle down somewhere. Somewhere that was not _**here.**_

The mere thought of it tore at the young brunette tender heart, and yet she had told herself from day one that this would happen; it had always been inevitable. Yet, she had been caught completely unaware by how much it would hurt her to lose him; Edward had wormed his way into her heart and taken hold.

With every little step that her once friend took towards that exciting future; to the big, new world... Edward was forced to take one step away from her. It should have been obvious days ago that the end had come, but she had stubbornly clung to the last vestiges of her hope; a hope that was rabidly dwindling with every passing second. He had not bothered or even stopped to acknowledge her before he ran off to face the day, though she had dearly wished he would just remember.

Alas, it was not to be, and the small brunette with wide brown eyes sat on the abandoned, sheet-covered piano without a tear; there was such emptiness inside of her. The desk-top calendar sat mockingly by Edward's bed, heralding the fact that it had been a week since Edward has last noticed her; had spared more than a fleeting glance in her direction, though she had made it her mission never to leave his side whilst he was inside the house. No, the day had come like she had expected it would.

Edward had utterly forgotten she existed.

A few days passed since the time that a young girl with brown hair and a yellow dress had learnt that her only friend in the world had forgotten and discarded her, but despite all that, she stayed in that room of so many memories. To keep a promise she had made long ago to a boy she had loved ever so dearly.

Down the stairs, the front door opened noisily as Edward bounded into the house, a goofy smile all but splitting his face in two. Elizabeth took in the lovesick look on her son's face and her smile also widened, especially after he hugged her tightly and greeted her warmly. Edward had been in high spirits for a while lately, but this was something else entirely; he was positively blooming.

Long legs making short work of the spiralling staircase, Edward reflected on his top of the world life at the present. He felt as light as a cloud, everything was perfect. He had a beautiful and stunning girlfriend that was the envy of all the other boys, he was captain of the basketball team who had just been scouted and would most likely get a scholarship offer, and he still managed to maintain an A average in school.

And his girlfriend has said she loved him today.

Warmth fill the jade-eyed teenager's chest at the mere memory of the fact; it had been a perfectly normal day until Bree had accidently whispered that she loved him in his ear, immediately blushing red at her actions. Yet after some talk and many reassurances that he too returned the feeling, both of the sixteen year olds were content in the knowledge that they cared for one another equally, and suddenly there was a closeness there that had not been there before.

Overwhelmed with everything, Edward slammed open his door, wanting to inform his childhood friend of the occasion, secure in the knowledge that Bella would be as happy as he was. Hair ruffled and eye alight with delight, Edward called for his little brunette friend, "Bella!"

Instead of the softly spoken reply that Edward had grown accustomed to, only silence and emptiness were his reply; the petite little girl nowhere to be found inside the messy, cluttered room. Edward's jaw closed with an audible 'clack' as he stared confusedly about the seemingly unoccupied room, and after a few minutes, he was left with the startling conclusion that his bedroom was indeed as empty as it appeared.

Hand raking through his hair, Edward's expression grew pensive and he moved to sit on the end of his bed, head slightly cocked to one side, in a pose not unlike that of his missing companion. No matter how hard he looked back or how far, Edward could not remember a single time when this had happened before. His Bella was always here in his bedroom and he had found immeasurable comfort in the fact that she chose not to leave. Something within him warmed when he knew that she would be here, reading on his bed or listening in pleasure to the sounds of Chopin and Mozart; sometimes she would just rest there peacefully, and other times she would play around with his piano, incapable of true talent but determined nonetheless.

And yet Bella was nowhere to be seen.

Huffing slightly, Edward stretched out on his comforter and stared up at the bare ceiling, lost in his thoughts; Bella had been his constant companion these last six years, and if he could admit it to even himself, Edward was a little more than worried about what could have possibly happened to the girl to make her leave after such a long time.

A soft chiming ring captured the youth's attention though and as he reached for his cell phone and recognized who was calling him; the concern and worry of only moments before, dissipated. Bella was most likely just entertaining herself in another part of the house, Edward mused, for his room must have gotten the tiniest bit boring after six years. Shrugging, the auburn-haired young man nodded in satisfaction; yes, she was just in another part of the house and would be back soon. He would talk to her ton-

The sweet sound of his Bree's soft voice deftly eliminated any other thoughts from Edward's mind, including that of his missing Bella, as he was swept away with a mix of trivial and deep discussions with his steady girlfriend. Effortlessly, Edward Masen was lost to the world of pretty girls, and adult lives, leaving a forlorn little girl watching on the sidelines.

There across the room, from her precarious perch on Edward's covered and abandoned piano, Bella gazed upon the scene with shadowed eyes. Her heart had lifted a little when her friend had searched for her with a bewildered look in his eyes, but it shattered when the mere thought of talking with Bree emptied his mind of anything else. Resigned, Bella was forced to accept what had happened; for even if Edward had not been distracted, he had not seen her in the first place.

His gaze had run right through her, unseeing.

This was not her Edward anymore; her Edward was a small eleven year old that would spend more than a few painstaking hours to look for her when she had disappeared one winter night, only to find her resting by the fireplace, curled up tightly as she watched the dancing red flames. The look of utter relief on his face that winter night had warmed her far better than any fire ever could have, but now Bella felt as if she had been carved from a block of ice. She was barely a memory to her Edward now, a mere echo in his mind; nothing else in the world could have made her heart clench as utterly as it did at that notion.

The little brunette had pledged herself to his side, and had stayed there for faithfully for six years now, attending to his every worry, hurt or confusion. And just when she needed him the most; needed him to comfort her broken heart and dispel her fear, Edward had forgotten her completely, too wrapped up in his own self-obsessed world to even notice her pain, her suffering.

"I love you, Bree."

The soft velvety promise was as sweet and tender as Bella had imagined it would be, but it was not meant for her ears, or for her heart. It was meant for another, one who _**could **_grow and change and live in the world by his side. But, oh how she could remember what it was like for him to say her name like that; like she was the most important thing in his entire universe.

Forlornly, Bella had only the memories of that day three years ago; that awkward day when Edward had confessed his crush and Bella had to let him down. That day when his childish feelings had grown and become something all the more tangible; the day that Edward has declared with stutter or fear, that he would _always love __**her**_**.**

And yet, not even his sincerity that day had survived the test of time; those words easily lost in the maelstrom of his adolescence, those promised words worn down and soon forgotten. He changed, and with it, so did Edward's emotions. He would not always love her... as of now, he did not even remember or know her. Soon she would be nothing more than a vague recollection that he would barely be able to recall; and elusive memory of something that had touched him, and of something he had let go. All this, and to her, Edward Masen would be nearly everything to her for as long as she continued to exist.

Unable to hold back any longer, hot salty tears spilt over her cheeks without restraint as the little girl of ten hugged her knees even closer to her heaving chest, hoping in vain that the effort would in some stop her from breaking like a dropped glass into a million, broken shards. Falling apart without abandon, Bella sobbed loudly, her agonized cried going unheard by the youth across the room; the one chatting enthusiastically to his girlfriend and after that, to his guy friends.

Edward was utterly oblivious to the fact that his once closest companion had fallen to pieces on his now abandoned baby grand piano, her tear littering the floor in a pattern of little teardrops. Arms wrapping even tighter around her knees, Bella was unaware that her efforts to hold herself together had let her buttery yellow sundress rise slightly, and for her stockings to sag just enough to reveal a disturbing, and forever unobserved sight.

Against soft tanned skin, dark purpling bruises marred the supple limbs of the petite brunette; her legs and lower thighs covered in a myriad of ugly blue-black marks that if one only looked closely enough, could easily tell resembled the shape of human hands; of large palms and harsh fingers.

_On that abandoned piano, her infinite tears went unseen._


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.**

**This story is set in an Alternate Universe. **

**ECHOES OF THE SOUL**

**Chapter Six**

_**Our sense of worth, of well-being, even our sanity depends upon our remembering. But, alas, our sense of worth, our well-being and our sanity also depend upon our forgetting.**_

– _**Joyce Appleby**_

_**One of the definitions of sanity is the ability to tell real from unreal. Soon we will need a new definition.**_

– _**Alvin Toffler**_

"Oh my little baby is all grown up. Edward darling, be a good boy while you are away. And remember that you can come back and visit whenever you want. We are going to miss you so much."

The teary, emotionally wrung-out voice of Elizabeth Masen floated up the stairwell, her message easily reaching the ear of one solitude figure that stood quietly by the handrail and watched the day's events unfold stoically, with still lips and expressionless eyes. Not a tear in sight, Bella could only watch solemnly as the one person that had made her life bearable, hug and console his openly teary mother and shake hands with his dad before finally dropping the manly, confident demeanour and hugging both of the tightly, a slightly scared look in his eyes. God, how she wished to comfort him on this day; to hug him and whisper that everything would be alright.

But it was not to be. Eight years of her existence with this boy turned man and it had all come down this; to one empty thought and one forgotten goodbye. Muscles formed from weeks, years of hard training and weights, barely strained under the heavy load of bags and books for college. Edward had gotten that scholarship that he had once only dreamed of, and now was off to his new home on campus, much to the pride and worry of his parents.

He was leaving today.

Twisting her fingers together to ease the pain and agony she felt as slowly Edward's belongings were removed from the house for at least the next few years, if not forever. After all, his parents had met and fallen in love at college, marrying just weeks after they finished their studies. Edward may never come home to her again.

Heart tearing in her chest, Bella reflected over the last few years. The last two especially has been difficult by anyone's standards, but Bella was not just anyone. It was not as if she was a normal girl that lost a good friend, but had plenty of other opportunities to meet others, no, Bella had only one friend. Edward had been the only one to ever see her, and even he had chosen to lose sight of the ghostly, yet very real, apparition that had lived in his room before it was even called Edward's room.

She had no one now.

She knew, from the last near decade that the Masen's had occupied the house, that there must have been something special about Edward because he could see and talk to her. Neither of his parents, or his friends, or their parents for that matter, knew that she existed and that awkward introduction when he was ten years old between her and his mom had put them both off ever trying again. Bella because she felt it was pointless, and Edward because he felt as if his mother thought he had lost it, for she had been very odd and questioning in the days that had followed.

Still, though she was practically cut off from the world, Bella had sought and found immense comfort in the fact that Edward, that sweet little boy, was there. And then the years had come along with its changes, and that innocently inquisitive, beautiful soul grew and became a man; an adult. Sure, he was a kind adult, but he was one nonetheless. A human being that no longer believed in magic and friends that no one else could see; sometimes Bella wished very much that he had never grown.

But he had, and now Edward was a young man of eighteen who was more than ready and willing to start out all on his own and to start to really live his own life. He wanted to work and live and fall in love, and just experience everything that life had to offer. His decision to major in journalism had been a shock to most, especially his parents who had expected him to attend a music school, but Edward had been adamant in his choice.

Bella had hoped that his decision to give up on the talent and gift that he had cultivated as a child would waiver and he would resume playing, but Edward did not relent in his choice. The gorgeous baby grand remained covered with a sheet and was left to gather dust and never play sweet music again. It became her main resting place now since the comfort she had once found laying atop the bed was cold and dulled. Besides, Bella often avoided the room altogether, choosing instead to sit morosely in front of the fire, trying in vain to drown out the giggles of Edward's new conquests.

Bree, the girlfriend that had once been for eternity, had transferred when her parent's had switched counties, and the distance became too much for the relationship to survive. Instead Edward had decided to join all his jock friends in a tradition of shameless behaviour; wining and dining a new girl every other night, the majority of which were utterly disgraceful and promiscuous freshmen who though getting in with the hot jocks would win them popularity.

And through all of this, Bella remained. Not the she could really leave, but a part of her was bound to Edward and she just could not seem to let him go, just as he had done her. She didn't understand how this had all happened. She had once played such a vital role in his life; he had once come to her about everything that happened, and about everything that was on his mind. His first crush (after her), his fights with his friends, and with his parents and just all the other everyday things that came to his mind during the course of the day; everything, he had shared with her.

And now she was this. She had been reduced to a mere phantom in the background of the bronze-haired boy's life; intangible and forgotten by the rest of the world. Sometimes she was so angry at the self-centred, self-absorbed person that Edward had become, but mostly she was simply sad. Sad that after all they had weathered together and all that they had promised to one another, that they had come to this. She wanted her Edward back, now more than ever.

When she had told Edward that fateful day that she knew not what she was or remembered how she had become this thing, Bella had not been entirely truthful. Ever since she could remember, she had had flickers and clues to her past; some that she treasured and adored, like memories of her parents, but then there were others that terrified her. The comfort and love that Edward had shown to her over the years had kept the darker memories at bay as easily as breathing, but when that love and comfort had dissipated, they had slowly trickled back into her mind.

Now without him, Bella felt as if every, single breath hurt her; the sinister memories filled her mind until she all but suffocated on the foul bile that rose to her throat at the horrific content of the recollections. As each one, new and old, filtered through her mind, the clarity was so clear that the tiny brunette felt as if she was reliving each and every one in the flesh.

More than once had the ten year old wished to put a drill to her head and purge the memories from her mind, but then she would see a glimpse of her Edward in this new and strange adult Edward and she could not do it. All it took was a slightly nervous smile or flexing his fingers to bring her back to the days when he had known her and had loved her. And she could not regret the memories in that moment because without them, Bella would never have had her Edward, short as the time they had together.

A resounding bang stirred the brown-eyed brunette from her somewhat grim musings, and Bella looked up to find that the front door was now closed and that none of the three Masens were anywhere in view. Her gaze drifting to the front window effortlessly, Bella stiffened as she watched Edward kiss his mother through the window of his car, hands lazily clutching the steering wheel as the engine purred in time with the bronze-haired man's revs.

The voices were inaudible from where she was standing, but the intentions of all were clear. While his parents clung to the last vestiges of their son's childhood, said son was chomping on the bit to leave this part of his life behind him and start out on the next chapter. Within minutes the intentions of the eighteen year old won out and with a cloud of dust, Edward Masen tore out of his driveway and took off in the direction of his future.

Had he only have looked back he might have (or might not have) seen the lone hand that pressed against the window as sad eyes watched the car leave. Forlorn and suddenly lost, Bella could only stand there and watch the car until it was a mere speck in the distance, and then, nothing at all. And yet she could not move from her place by the window, keeping watch over the road that her heart longed for Edward to return on, but never did.

It would be a long time before she moved again.

Two weeks later, Bella finally chose to end her self-imposed vigil.

Time had run strangely in those fourteen days that she had kept watch at that window for the black car to return home with Edward inside; sometimes it had flown by with days passing in a daze and others droning on until seconds become hours. The memories that had once plagued her returned with a vengeance, seeming to want to make up for lost time.

Sometimes Bella tried to sort through them and piece together exactly what had happened in her past that would lead to this life of stand-still; never moving forward, never moving back. And yet, try as she might, the visions that invaded her every waking moment were so fractured and fragmented that she was left with only whispers of the truth.

All that Bella knew was that she had been happy once; her parents had loved her and she had loved them. Life had been fun and pleasant and good, but something happened to change all that. Change it from love to pain and happiness to suffering. What it was, she was quite unsure, but nevertheless she knew without a shadow of doubt that whatever it could be, she had not made it out alive.

This motionless, meaningless life was not living. That much she knew. This state of moving through this one house in this one town, invisible to almost all of its inhabitants, was not living. This was something much less, something so much less than that.

In the fragmented whispers of her dreams, Bella felt ghosts of terror gripping into her; tearing at her. Laughing, tormenting, ghastly eyes followed her through the day, and horrific screams echoed into the night. She had all but abandoned the piano, an eerie feeling possessing her as she sat on it, her reflection taunting her in the wall-length, floor-length mirror. The windowsill was her haunt now, she felt safer somehow; freer. As if she could just jump out and leave this all behind. An impossible feat, she knew, but one that she frequently and vainly entertained.

She would leave this place, and find Edward. Watch over him again; those painful years of quietly and passively being a part of his life had been hard, but this... it was unbearable. There was nothing; just memories that were hazy and feelings that were fading with time. Emptiness was engulfing her, and the hollowed feeling ate at her in her sleep, and then followed on throughout the day.

Being like this... Bella wished for nothing more than peace.

It was one of the rare occasions where Bella left the safe confines of her windowsill, her silent vigil for Edward alive once more. Sometimes she sat in the Masen's living room by the fireplace and just listened to the sounds of people; the sound of life. The loneliness was steeling over her entire being; the utter aloneness ripping her apart. The sound of her Edward's parents and their friends living out their lives eased the feeling somewhat, but Bella longed to speak to someone... anyone. She could no longer remember the sound of her own voice, but she imagined it would be husky with disuse by now, most likely cracking and hoarse.

Closing her eyes instinctually as the voices of Elizabeth Masen and Mrs. Hale washed over her; Bella let some of the hollowness ease for a moment, as she basked in the life and joy in the two gossiping women's voices. Normally she didn't even listen to the words, or try to make sense of the content, but the current conversation between the two caught her attention and Bella sat up curiously, watching the two women talking animatedly about their favourite topic; the children.

More specifically... Edward.

"I know, we all thought he would take a semester or so of the course and immediately want to go back to the piano, but no. Edward told me that he is enjoying this journalism course so much."

The confusion was apparent in Elizabeth Masen's voice, but Bella could understand that. For one that had shown so much promise and skill on the piano, it seem incredulous that he would have chosen and now enjoyed a course so reliant on the written word... English being a class in which he had almost failed. A journalist...? The imagery did not fit that of the person that Bella had watched become a man from just a young boy. And apparently, Mrs. Hale agreed.

"I know what you mean, Liz. My Rosalie was such a girlie-girl her whole life, and then when college came around, she looked me right in the eyes and said she wanted to be a racing car technician. A technician! With all that grease and oil and hard labour! It was utterly preposterous, but she did it anyway."

"How is Rosalie? You said something about a boyfriend last I heard."

"Yes, Emmett. Dating for three years now, but they haven't settled down properly. And Rosalie just told me that they are expecting a child! Can you believe that, Liz? Unmarried..."

Bella tuned out the sound of Mrs. Hale in full-blown gossip mode, so she could avoid the dark tales of the modern Rosalie Hale and her child, instead choosing to ignore the pair unless the subject of her Edward came up again.

He did not.

Heart sinking, and mind clouding, Bella let out a pathetic, mewling cry. Part of her wished that one of the woman would hear her and take note of the slowing fading girl, but as always, she passed though life unheard and unnoticed. It was not heart-breaking like it once was… the petite brunette felt so hollowed and empty that nothing could really pierce her heart any longer.

No, this was soul-wrenching.

Her being cried out in anguish for the little boy that she loved so very dearly, and her soul darkened and shrivelled from his loss. Edward was gone for her, and he was not coming back. It was so hard to reconcile, to understand. All the things she had told herself years ago about children growing up and living their own lives one day were meaningless now. Ghosts of sound that did not ease the torment in her soul

A fractured memory blindsided the fragile, little girl.

Crying out in distress and agony, Bella lived anew the sensation of rough hands and sharp nails, the scent of foul breath on her face and a sudden onslaught of fear and shame. It wound its way into her thoughts so that she could not escape, and wrung her insides into triple-knots. Breathing harshly, she tried to fight off the feeling of hopelessness and despair that accompanied such horrifying and sickening visions, but once again was unable.

Something about her past was trying to make itself known once more, and unlike memories of her mother and her father… this was not pleasant or kind. It was darkness, danger and pain… flickers of screams and desperate cries. Pleading that grated in her ears and dark laughter that twisted her all up inside and made her nauseous.

Heart aching, Bella screamed out Edward's name, her cry falling on deaf ears. She needed the peace that his presence inspired in her; the love and friendship that drove these dark… _things… _away for her and let her rest in silence.

Blindly, she sought out her once refuge, where she and he had spent so many years together, close as anything. Though she knew there was nothing to be found in that empty bedroom, she could not help but return. Love was blind, this she knew all too well – and it was deaf and dumb, it appeared as well.

Needing to feel close to her Edward, Bella crossed the silent room to the abandoned baby grand piano that lay still by the mirrored wall. Pulling off the dusty sheet, she ran her fingers lightly over the ebony and ivory keys, never letting her touch bring any note from the instrument. Bella was unsure if she would survive hearing such a sound right now.

Eyes lifting, the soft brown orbs met their twins in the mirror, and Bella smiled sadly for a moment, before a shriek of terror was ripped from her throat.

Someone…

Her reflection rippled and went hazy. In its place, Bella could make out a large, hulking frame, with boorishly large hands and a terrible grin. Dark, piercing eyes shot through to her very soul, and Bella cringed away. Heart pounding in her chest, the petite brunette turned slowly, half expecting a huge figure to be lying in wait for her. After all, it had to be someone's reflection.

A scream ready in her throat, Bella's gaze fell behind her as she took in the room. It was still and it was empty, just as it had been moments ago. None of the dust had been disturbed, and the room stank of disuse and staleness. No one had been here.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Bella clutched at the skin above her still racing heart and willed it to calm, though it did little good. Turning her back on the empty room, Bella gazed at the mirror once more and balked. Her eyes widening in fear and heart unable to beat any longer, Bella remained silent in her shock and terror.

_Beside her reflection, was that of a large, hulking figure – same hands, same grin… and those same eyes that made her feel sick, trapped and helpless._


End file.
